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FOXBORO - The important thing, Troy Brown said Thursday, was that he feels fine. He left the distinct impression that he believes that everything else will take care of itself.

"Bill (Belichick) saw enough to activate me," the veteran wide receiver said Thursday during a brief meeting with the New England media in the Gillette Stadium locker room. "I feel decent. I feel good. It's up to him, and whatever he decides to do with me, I'll just take it from there."

Brown rejoined the 53-man roster Tuedsay, at the end of a two-week evaluation period that followed his activation off the regular-season physically-unable-to-perform list. Offseason knee surgery threatened the continuation of his NFL career into its 15th season, all with the Patriots, but he's obviously shown enough to convince Belichick to keep seven wide receivers on the roster, including one who's almost old enough to call the youngest "son."

"I've been around and I had a chance to hang out with a lot of the guys so I it's not like I haven't been here at all," said Brown, who turned 37 in July and is 15 years the senior of second-year veteran Chad Jackson. "I had a chance to be around these guys and see how much fun they were having out there. It has been a joy for me to watch this team has been doing really well. It's always a little easier to watch when the team is winning. If we were losing then it would be another story."

Brown said he kept focused upon his rehabilitation responsibilities without subjecting himself to thoughts that his career may not resume. "I came in here and just did what I had to do, and did what I was asked to do - going to get treatment, rehabbing, whatever it was," he said. "I never really worried about what was going to happen in the future. I was just worried about getting through the day that I was in and looking forward to the next game.

"That's something that is out of my control and something that I can't worry about," he said about the decision Belichick was forced to make earlier in the week. "I was just taking care of my business and doing what I had to do."

As it was, Belichick opted to add Brown to one of the most productive wide receiver corps in recent NFL history - Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Donté Stallworth, Kelley Washington, Jabar Gaffney and Jackson, the latter of whom was also recently re-activated off the PUP list.

"I'm always excited to be around this game," Brown said. "My opportunity came up and I got a chance to be a part of this and I'm just looking forward to coming in here and getting ready for this game. All I can do is take it one day at a time, one play at a time."

As the Patriots prepare to take on the Baltimore Ravens Monday night at M&T Bank Stadium (8:30 p.m.; ESPN, Ch. 5), there's no word as yet what Brown's role will be or even if he's going to be on the 45-man game-day roster.

"The competitive side of me wants to be on the field and out there competing with those guys," Brown said, "but I was in this situation and there was nothing I could do about it. All I can do is do what I can do and let the rest of it fall into place."

Brown's versatility may put him on the active list, however. His experience of playing in the defensive backfield in some coverage packages may prove invaluable with a few of the Patriots' DBs feeling a little nicked up after the Philadelphia game.

"Whatever my role is, whatever the coaches ask me to do, I'll do it," Brown said. "It's the same thing that it has been in the past. Whatever I've been asked to do, I've been ready to step up and do it."

MARK FARINELLA may be reached at 508-236-0315 or via e-mail at mfarinel@thesunchronicle.com